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| IELTS Reading Practice Test-26 With Answers |
READING PASSAGE 1
You
should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which
are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
The
coming back of the “Extinct”
Grass
in Britain
A
It’s Britain’s
dodo, called interrupted brome because of its gappy seed-head, this
unprepossessing grass was found nowhere else in the world. Sharp-eyed Victorian
botanists were the first to notice it, and by the 1920s the odd-looking grass
had been found across much of southern England. Yet its decline was just as
dramatic. By 1972 it had vanished from its last toehold-two hay fields at
Pampisford, near Cambridge. Even the seeds stored at the Cambridge University
Botanic Garden as an insurance policy were dead, having been mistakenly kept at
room temperature. Botanists mourned: a unique living entity was gone forever.
B
Yet
reports of its demise proved premature. Interrupted brome has come back from
the dead, and not through any fancy genetic engineering. Thanks to one green-fingered
botanist, interrupted brome is alive and well and living as a pot plant.
Britain’s dodo is about to become a phoenix, as conservationists set about
relaunching its career in the wild.
C
At
first, Philip Smith was unaware that the scrawny pots of grass on his bench
were all that remained of a uniquely British species. But when news of the
“extinction” of Bromus interruptus finally reached him, he decided to astonish
his colleagues. He seized his opportunity at a meeting of the Botanical Society
of the British Isles in Manchester in 1979, where he was booked to talk about
his research on the evolution of the brome grasses. It was sad, he said, that
interrupted brome had become extinct, as there were so many interesting
questions botanists could have investigated. Then he whipped out two enormous
pots of it. The extinct grass was very much alive.
D
It
turned out that Smith had collected seeds from the brome’s last refuge at
Pampisford in 1963, shortly before the species disappeared from the wild
altogether. Ever since then, Smith had grown the grass on, year after year. So,
in the end, the hapless grass survived not through some high-powered
conservation scheme or fancy genetic manipulation, but simply because one man
was interested in it. As Smith points out, interrupted brome isn’t particularly
attractive and has no commercial value. But to a plant taxonomist, that’s not
what makes a plant interesting.
E
The
brome’s future, at least in cultivation, now seems assured. Seeds from Smith’s
plants have been securely stored in the state-of-the-art Millennium Seed Bank
at Wakehurst Place in Sussex. And living plants thrive at the botanic gardens
at Kew, Edinburgh and Cambridge. This year, “bulking up” is underway to make
sure there are plenty of plants in all gardens, and sackfuls of seeds are being
stockpiled at strategic sites throughout the country.
F
The
brome’s relaunch into the British countryside is next on the agenda. English
Nature has included interrupted brome in its Species Recovery Programme, and it
is on track to be reintroduced into the agricultural landscape if friendly
farmers can be found. Alas, the grass is neither pretty nor useful – in fact,
it is undeniably a weed, and a weed of a crop that nobody grows these days, at
that. The brome was probably never common enough to irritate farmers, but no
one would value it today for its productivity or its nutritious qualities. As a
grass, it leaves agriculturalists cold.
G
So
where did it come from? Smith’s research into the taxonomy of the brome grasses
suggests that interruptus almost certainly mutated from another weedy grass,
soft brome, hordeaceus. So close is the relationship that
interrupted brome was originally deemed to be a mere variety of soft brome by
the great Victorian taxonomist Professor Hackel. But in 1895, George Claridge
Druce, a 45-year-old Oxford pharmacist with a shop on the High Street, decided
that it deserved species status, and convinced the botanical world. Druce was
by then well on his way to fame as an Oxford don, mayor of the city, and a
fellow of the Royal Society. A poor boy from Northamptonshire and a
self-educated man, Druce became the leading field botanist of his generation.
When Druce described a species, botanists took note.
H
The
brome’s parentage may be clear, but the timing of its birth is more obscure.
According to agricultural historian Joan Thirsk, sainfoin and its friends made
their first modest appearance in Britain in the early 1600s. seeds brought in
from the Continent were sown in pastures to feed horses and other livestock.
But in those early days, only a few enthusiasts – mostly gentlemen keen to
pamper their best horses – took to the new crops.
I
Although
the credit for the “discovery” of interrupted brome goes to a Miss A. M.
Barnard, who collected the first specimens at Odsey, Bedfordshire, in 1849. The
grass had probably lurked undetected in the English countryside for at least a
hundred years. Smith thinks the botanical dodo probably evolved in the date
17th or early 18th century, once sainfoin became established.
J
Like
many once-common arable weeds, such as the corncockle, interrupted brome seeds
cannot survive long in the soil. Each spring, the brome relied on farmers to
resow its seeds; in the days before weedkillers and sophisticated seed sieves,
an ample supply would have contaminated stocks of crop seed. But fragile seeds
are not the brome’s only problem: this species is also reluctant to release its
seeds as they ripen. Show it a ploughed field today and this grass will
struggle to survive, says Smith. It will be difficult to establish in today’s
“improved” agricultural landscape, inhabited by notoriously vigorous
competitors.
Questions 1-7
Do
the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In
boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE
if the statement is true
FALSE
if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN
if the information is not given in the passage
1
The name for interrupted brome is very special as its head shaped like a sharp
eye
2
Interrupted brome thought to become extinct because there was no live seed even
in a labs condition.
3
Philip Smith comes from the University of Cambridge.
4
Reborn of the interrupted brome is attributed more to scientific meaning than
seemingly aesthetic or commercial ones
5
English nature will operate to recover interrupted brome on the success of
survival in Kew.
6
Interrupted Brome grows poorly in some competing modern agricultural
environment with other plants.
7
Media publicity plays a significant role to make interrupted brome continue to
exist.
Questions 8-13
Use
the information in the passage to match the people (listed A-F) with
opinions or deeds below.
Write
the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 8-13 on your answer
sheet.
NB You
may use any letter more than once
A
George Claridge Druce
B
Nathaniel Fiennes
C
Professor Hackel
D
A. M. Barnard
E
Philip Smith
J
Joan Thirsk
Choose
the people who
8
reestablished the British unique plants
9
identified the interrupted brome as just to its parent brome
10
gave an independent taxonomy place to interrupted brome
11
discovered and picked the first sample of interrupted brome
12
recorded the first ‘show up’ of sainfoin plants in Britain
13
collected the last seeds just before its extinction
READING PASSAGE 2
You
should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on
Reading Passage 2 below.
London
Swaying Footbridge
A
In
September 1996 a competition was organized by the Financial Times in
association with the London Borough of Southwark to design a new footbridge
across the Thames. The competition attracted over 200 entries and was won by a
team comprising Arup (engineers), Foster and Partners (architects) and the
sculptor Sir Anthony Caro.
B
The
bridge opened to the public on 10 June 2000. Up to 100,000 people crossed it
that day with up to 2000 people on the bridge at any one time. At first, the
bridge was still. Then it began to sway, just slightly. Then, almost from one
moment to the next, when large groups of people were crossing, the wobble
intensified. This movement became sufficiently large for people to stop walking
to retain their balance and sometimes to hold onto the handrails for support.
It was decided immediately to limit the number of people on the bridge, but
even so, the deck movement was sufficient to be uncomfortable and to raise
concern for public safety so that on 12 June the bridge was closed until the
problem could be solved.
C
The
embarrassed engineers found the videotape that day which showed the center span
swaying about 3 inches side to side every second. The engineers first thought
that winds might be exerting excessive force on the many large flags and
banners bedecking the bridge for its gala premiere. What’s more, they also
discovered that pedestrians also played a key role. Human activities, such as
walking, running, jumping, swaying, etc. could cause horizontal forces which in
turn could cause excessive dynamic vibration in the lateral direction in the
bridge. As the structure began moving, pedestrians adjusted their gait to the
same lateral rhythm as the bridge. The adjusted footsteps magnified the motion
– just like when four people all stand up in a small boat at the same time. As
more pedestrians locked into the same rhythm, the increasing oscillations led
to the dramatic swaying captured on film.
D
In
order to design a method of reducing the movements, the force exerted by the
pedestrians had to be quantified and related to the motion of the bridge.
Although there are some descriptions of this phenomenon in existing literature,
none of these actually quantifies the force. So there was no quantitative
analytical way to design the bridge against this effect. An immediate research
program was launched by the bridge’s engineering designers Ove Arup, supported
by a number of universities and research organizations.
E
The
tests at the University of Southampton involved a person walking ‘on the spot’
on a small shake table. The tests at Imperial College involved persons walking
along with a specially built, 7.2m-long platform which could be driven
laterally at different frequencies and amplitudes. Each type of test had its
limitations. The Imperial College tests were only able to capture 7 – 8
footsteps, and the ‘walking on the spot’ tests, although monitoring many
footsteps, could not investigate normal forward walking. Neither test could
investigate any influence of other people in a crowd on the behavior of the
individual being tested.
F
The
results of the laboratory tests provided information which enabled the initial
design of a retrofit to be progressed. However, the limitations of these tests
were clear and it was felt that the only way to replicate properly the precise
conditions of the Millennium Bridge was to carry out crowd tests on the bridge
deck itself. These tests done by the Arup engineers could incorporate factors
not possible in the laboratory tests. The first of these was carried out with
100 people in July 2000. The results of these tests were used to refine the
load model for pedestrians. The second series of crowd tests were carried out
on the bridge in December 2000. The purpose of these tests was to further
validate the design assumptions and to load test a prototype damper
installation. The test was carried out with 275 people.
G
Unless
the usage of the bridge was to be greatly restricted, only two generic options
to improve its performance were considered feasible. The first was to increase
the stiffness of the bridge to move all its lateral natural frequencies out of
the range that could be excited by the lateral football forces, and the second
was to increase the damping of the bridge to reduce the resonant response.
Questions 14-17
Choose FOUR letters, A-H.
Write
the correct letters in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.
Which FOUR of
the following situation were witnessed on the opening ceremony of the bridge?
A
The frequency of oscillation increased after some time.
B
All the engineers went to see the ceremony that day.
C
The design of the bridge astonished the people.
D
Unexpected sideway movement of the bridge occurred.
E
Pedestrians had difficulty in walking on the deck.
F
The bridge fell down when people tried to retain their balance.
G
Vibration could be detected on the deck by the pedestrians.
H
It was raining when the ceremony began.
Questions 18-22
Complete
the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage 2
Using NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer
Write
your answers in boxes 18-22 on your answer sheet.
After
the opening ceremony, the embarrassed engineers tried to find out the reason
for the bridge’s wobbling. Judged from the videotape, they thought that 18………………………….
and 19………………………….. might create an excessive force on the bridge. The
distribution of 20……………………….. resulted from human activities could
cause 21……………………………. throughout the structure. This swaying prompted
people to start adjusting the way they walk, which in turn reinforced the 22………………………..
Questions 23-26
Complete
the table below.
Choose NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading Passage 2 for each answer.
Write
your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
|
Research programs
launched by universities
and organizations |
|
|
Universities /
People |
Activity |
|
Test at 23………………… ‘walking on the
spot’ at Southampton Crowd test
conducted by 25……………… |
Limited ability
to have 7-8 footsteps Not enough data
on 24………………… Aim to
verify 26……………………….. |
READING
PASSAGE 3
You
should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on
Reading Passage 3 below.
Book
review on Musicophilia
Norman M. Weinberger reviews the latest work of
Oliver Sacks on music.
A
Music
and the brain are both endlessly fascinating subjects, and as a neuroscientist
specialising in auditory learning and memory, I find them especially
intriguing. So I had high expectations of Musicophilia, the latest offering
from neurologist and prolific author Oliver Sacks. And I confess to feeling a
little guilty reporting that my reactions to the book are mixed.
B
Sacks
himself is the best part of Musicophilia. He richly documents his own life in
the book and reveals highly personal experiences. The photograph of him on the
cover of the book-which shows him wearing headphones, eyes closed, clearly
enchanted as he listens to Alfred Brendel perform Beethoven’s Pathetique
Sonata-makes a positive impression that is borne out by the contents of the
book. Sacks’ voice throughout is steady and erudite but never pontifical. He is
neither self-conscious nor self-promoting.
C
The
preface gives a good idea of what the book will deliver. In it, Sacks explains
that he wants to convey the insights gleaned from the “enormous and rapidly
growing body of work on the neural underpinnings of musical perception and
imagery, and the complex and often bizarre disorders to which these are prone.”
He also stresses the importance of “the simple art of observation” and “the richness
of the human context.” He wants to combine “observation and description with
the latest in technology,” he says, and to imaginatively enter into the
experience of his patients and subjects. The reader can see that Sacks, who has
been practicing neurology for 40 years, is torn between the “old-fashioned”
path of observation and the new-fangled, high-tech approach: He knows that he
needs to take heed of the latter, but his heart lies with the former.
D
The
book consists mainly of detailed descriptions of cases, most of them involving
patients whom Sacks has seen in his practice. Brief discussions of contemporary
neuroscientific reports are sprinkled liberally throughout the text. Part,
“Haunted by Music,” begins with the strange case of Tony Cicoria, a nonmusical,
middle-aged surgeon who was consumed by a love of music after being hit by
lightning. He suddenly began to crave listening to piano music, which he had
never cared for in the past. He started to play the piano and then to compose
music, which arose spontaneously in his mind in a “torrent” of notes. How could
this happen? Was the cause psychological? (He had had a near-death experience
when the lightning struck him.) Or was it the direct result of a change in the
auditory regions of his cerebral cortex? Electroencephalography (EEG) showed
his brain waves to be normal in the mid-1990s, just after his trauma and
subsequent “conversion” to music. There are now more sensitive tests, but
Cicoria, has declined to undergo them; he does not want to delve into the
causes of his musicality. What a shame!
E
Part
II, “A Range of Musicality,” covers a wider variety of topics, but
unfortunately, some of the chapters offer little or nothing that is new. For
example, chapter 13, which is five pages long, merely notes that the blind
often has better hearing than the sighted. The most interesting chapters are
those that present the strangest cases. Chapter 8 is about “amusia,” an
inability to hear sounds like music, and “dysharmonia,” a highly specific
impairment of the ability to hear harmony, with the ability to understand
melody left intact. Such specific “dissociations” are found throughout the
cases Sacks recounts.
F
To
Sacks’s credit, part III, “Memory, Movement and Music,” brings us into the
underappreciated realm of music therapy. Chapter 16 explains how “melodic
intonation therapy” is being used to help expressive aphasic patients (those
unable to express their thoughts verbally following a stroke or other cerebral
incident) once again become capable of fluent speech. In chapter 20, Sacks
demonstrates the near-miraculous power of music to animate Parkinson’s patients
and other people with severe movement disorders, even those who are frozen into
odd postures. Scientists cannot yet explain how music achieves this effect
G
To
readers who are unfamiliar with neuroscience and music behavior, Musicophilia
may be something of a revelation. But the book will not satisfy those seeking
the causes and implications of the phenomena Sacks describes. For one thing,
Sacks appears to be more at ease discussing patients than discussing
experiments. And he tends to be rather uncritical in accepting scientific
findings and theories.
H
It’s
true that the causes of music-brain oddities remain poorly understood. However,
Sacks could have done more to draw out some of the implications of the careful
observations that he and other neurologists have made and of the treatments
that have been successful. For example, he might have noted that the many
specific dissociations among components of music comprehension, such as loss of
the ability to perceive harmony but not melody, indicate that there is no music
center in the brain. Because many people who read the book are likely to
believe in the brain localisation of all mental functions, this was a missed
educational opportunity.
I
Another
conclusion one could draw is that there seem to be no “cures” for neurological
problems involving music. A drug can alleviate a symptom in one patient and
aggravate it in another or can have both positive and negative effects in the
same patient. Treatments mentioned seem to be almost exclusively antiepileptic
medications, which “damp down” the excitability of the brain in general; their
effectiveness varies widely.
J
Finally,
in many of the cases described here the patient with music-brain symptoms is
reported to have “normal” EEG results. Although Sacks recognises the existence
of new technologies, among them far more sensitive ways to analyze brain waves
than the standard neurological EEG test, he does not call for their use. In
fact, although he exhibits the greatest compassion for patients, he conveys no
sense of urgency about the pursuit of new avenues in the diagnosis and
treatment of music-brain disorders. This absence echoes the book’s preface, in
which Sacks expresses fear that “the simple art of observation may be lost” if
we rely too much on new technologies. He does call for both approaches, though,
and we can only hope that the neurological community will respond.
Questions 27-30
Choose
the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write
your answers in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.
27
Why does the writer have a mixed feeling about the book?
A
The guilty feeling made him so.
B
The writer expected it to be better than it was.
C
Sacks failed to include his personal stories in the book.
D
This is the only book written by Sacks.
28
What is the best part of the book?
A
the photo of Sacks listening to music
B
the tone of voice of the book
C
the autobiographical description in the book
D the
description of Sacks’ wealth
29
In the preface, what did Sacks try to achieve?
A
make a herald introduction of the research work and technique applied
B
give a detailed description of various musical disorders
C
explain why he needs to do away with the simple observation
D explain
why he needs to do away with the simple observation
30
What is disappointing about Tony Cicoria’s case?
A
He refuses to have further tests.
B
He can’t determine the cause of his sudden musicality.
C
He nearly died because of the lightening.
D His
brain waves were too normal to show anything.
Questions 31-36
Do
the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage
3?
In
boxes 31-36 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE
if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
FALSE
if the statement contradicts with the views of the writer
NOT
GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
31
It is difficult to give a well-reputable writer a less than totally favorable
review.
32
Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata is a good treatment for musical disorders.
33
Sacks believes technological methods is of little importance compared with
traditional observation when studying his patients.
34
It is difficult to understand why music therapy is undervalued
35
Sacks held little skepticism when borrowing other theories and findings in
describing reasons and notion for phenomena he depicts in the book.
36
Sacks is in a rush to use new testing methods to do treatment for patients.
Questions 37-40
Complete
each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.
Write
the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.
37
The content covered dissociations in understanding between harmony and melody
38
The study of treating musical disorders
39
The EEG scans of Sacks’ patients
40
Sacks believes testing based on new technologies
A
show no music-brain disorders.
B
indicates that medication can have varied results.
C
is key for the neurological community to unravel the mysteries.
D
should not be used in isolation.
E
indicate that not everyone can receive a good education.
F
show a misconception that there is a function centre localized in the brain
ANSWERS
1. FALSE
2. TRUE
3. NOT GIVEN
4. TRUE
5. FALSE
6. TRUE
7. NOT GIVEN
8. E
9. C
10. A
11. D
12. F
13. E
14. A
15. D
16. E
17. G
18. winds
19. (the) pedestrians
20. horizontal forces
21. (excessive dynamic) vibration
22. motion
23. Imperial College
24. normal forward walking
25. (the) Arup engineers
26. (the) design assumptions
27. B
28. C
29. A
30. A
31. YES
32. NOT GIVEN
33. NO
34. NOT GIVEN
35. YES
36. NO
37. F
38. B
39. A
40. D
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